Entertainment

Oscars 2026 best and worst moments

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The 2026 Oscars was one to remember on Sunday, with Conan O’Brien returning for his second consecutive year as host and presiding over a night filled with so many surprise inside the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

It was one of the most exciting nail-biters in recent years, as only one of the acting categories was predictable — best actress winner Jessie Buckley for “Hamnet.”

Going into the night, the other races were a toss up, including a best actor face-off between Michael B. Jordan and Timothée Chalamet, and a best picture race between “Sinners” and “One Battle After Another.”

The “Best Supporting” actor and actress battles also had no clear frontrunners entering the evening, featuring Stellan Skarsgard, Sean Penn, Jacob Elordi, Teyana Taylor, Amy Madigan, Wunmi Mosaku, and more. (Penn and Madigan ultimately won).

Here are the best and worst moments of the night.

Best – Conan O’Brien’s opening

O’Brien’s monologue had a nice blend of goofy jokes (“Between ‘Hamnet’ and ‘Bugonia’ it’s been a big year for movies that sound like off brand lunch meat”) and sharp zingers (pointing out how no British actors were in the Best Actor race for the first time in years, but, “a British spokesperson said said ‘at least we arrest our pedophiles’”).

He also got in a timely jab at Timothee Chalamet for the “Marty Supreme” star’s viral comments about opera and ballet (“I’m told there’s concerns about attacks from both the opera and ballet communities”). The host concluded with an earnest salute to films for celebrating “global artistry” and “optimism” during a fraught time in the world. The comedian hit all the right notes.

Worst – the Leo moment in the monologue

O’Brien’s only “off” moment in the monologue happened when he cut to Leonardo DiCaprio in the crowd, and commented on how the “One Battle After Another” star is frequently the subject of memes.

“Let’s make a new meme with Leo, right now! That feeling when you didn’t agree to this,” O’Brien said, as the text came up onscreen. Sure enough, DiCaprio didn’t look too thrilled.

The joke was weak, it felt like it was written by a member of O’Brien’s writing staff trying too hard to appeal to Gen-Z.

Best – Amy Madigan’s chaotic speech

Madigan took home her the first Oscar in her long career, for her supporting role as Aunt Gladys in “Weapons.” The actress, 75, went to the stage cackling like the Joker, then gave a rambling speech with amusing asides. Madigan, who wore a pantsuit, mentioned how she tried to come up with her remarks while she was in the shower shaving her legs. “And I’m wearing pants, so I didn’t need to do that!”

Did we need to know that? Absolutely not, but Madigan’s oversharing was charming. She wrapped up with a sweet nod to actor Ed Harris, who she’s been married to since 1983. “He’s been with me forever and that’s a long ass time!”

Worst – weird sound editing

The sound went haywire in several instances over the course of the night, including getting too aggressive in bleeping out the cursing. It notably happened after “Frankenstein” costume designer Kate Hawley took home the deserved Oscar for that category. When she gave her speech, she thanked, “My family who put up with a lot of sh-t.” The sound cut out for an overly long time, not just censoring the word “sh-t” but taking out an entire sentence of her speech.

Not only is it not cool, but it also draws more attention to someone dropping a curse word, rather than smoothing over it.

Best – Conan’s YouTube bit

O’Brien did a bit mocking how the Oscars will air on YouTube starting in 2029. As the comedian started saying “I’ve been assure they won’t change,” he got interrupted by a jarring fake commercial featuring Jane Lynch – mocking how YouTube ads often burst in, at inopportune moments.

The “commercial” faded out, and the Academy Awards host said “sorry about that, but like I said, I don’t think this will change the Oscars at all –” before Lynch interrupted with another fake ad. The bit was amusing, accurate, and didn’t overstay its welcome.

Worst – A rare tie

Kumail Nanjiani, who was presenting the category of “best live action short film,” paused as he was reading off the winner. “It’s a tie. I’m not joking, it’s actually a tie,” he said. There was a brief silence, as everyone wondered if this was a “La La Land / Moonlight” snafu.

The winners, “The Singers” and “Two People Exchanging Saliva,” both gave speeches. In between them, Nanjiani improvised a solid joke on the spot (“Ironic that the short film Oscar is going to take twice as long!”)

A rare tie has happened six times in Academy Awards history. You’d think they’d build in some kind of fix to prevent such confusion from happening.

Worst – An anticlimactic end to the “Supporting actor” race

This year was an especially stacked “supporting actor” category. Hollywood veterans Stellan Skarsgard, 74, and Delroy Lindo, 73, have both been turning in great work for decades. Both have also been criminally under appreciated on the awards circuit, as both were first-time nominees. Jacob Elordi also gave one of the year’s best performances in “Frankenstein.” Any of them would be worthy winners. And yet, the choice was Sean Penn, who didn’t show up.

He’s won Oscars before, so there’s not much of an argument that it was “his time” over Skarsgard or Lindo. (And, his “One Battle After Another” character was cartoonish, so there’s not much of an argument that it was clearly the best among these options).

Kieran Culkin, who presented the award, quipped, “Sean Penn couldn’t be here this evening, or didn’t want to,” and O’Brien later remarked on Penn being “a no-show.” For such a strong year in this category, it ended in a flop.

Best – the “in memoriam” tributes to giants

This year was an especially tragic year for losing giants of the film industry, including Rob Reiner, Diane Keaton, and Robert Redford. The Academy Awards rose to meet the moment, astutely deciding not to group them in with the usual “in memoriam” montage. Instead, it gave each of them separate moments.

Billy Crystal, 78, came out to give a tribute to longtime friend Reiner. Referring to “The Princess Bride,” which Reiner directed and Crystal played Miracle Max in, Crystal said, “All we can say is, buddy, what fun we had storming the castle.” An assortment of actors from Reiner’s films then all stepped out onstage, including Mandy Patinkin, Cary Elwes, Meg Ryan, Kathy Bates, Jerry O’Connell, and Keifer Sutherland.

Rachel McAdams came out to speak about how Catherine O’Hara and Diane Keaton were inspirational to her. Barbra Streisand also came out to speak about Redford and sing, “The Way We Were.”

It was a sad but fitting tribute to lost pillars of Hollywood.

Best – the “Bridesmaids” reunion

Celebrating the fifteenth anniversary of the hit comedy, the stars came out onstage, including Maya Rudolph, Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Rose Byrne, and Ellie Kemper.

Before presenting the nominees for “best score,” the actresses did a bit where they read notes “from the audience,” including a note supposedly from Skarsgard telling them that they all are “aging well,” and “all the things you’ve done to your face are very tasteful.” Byrne read a note supposedly from DiCaprio telling her, “can you please stop looking at me, the eye contact is too much.”

The actors gamely played along, with Skarsgard and DiCaprio smirking and gesturing, when the camera cut to them. The bit went on too long, as Wiig pointed out. Nevertheless, it was fun.

Best – “Sinners” cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw makes history

Arkapaw was the first woman to ever win the Oscar in the Cinematography category. The cinematographer, who is Filipino and African American Creole, was also the first woman of color to ever be nominated. In her speech, she said, “I’m so honored to be here, and I really want all the women in the room to stand up, because I feel like I don’t get here without you guys.”

The A-listers in the audience all complied, with all the women in the crowd rising to their feet, applauding.

Best – an exciting end to the “Best actor” race

Michael B Jordan took home the top prize, ending a nail-biter of a race in this category. At the beginning of this season, Timothee Chalamet was the frontrunner, winning the Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award. But, things shifted when Jordan won the Actor award, and the room gave him a standing ovation, demonstrating his support among his peers. Chalamet also got too thirsty with his campaign. Entering the night, this race was a toss-up.

In his speech, Jordan said, “I stand here because of the people that came before me,” and named several black Oscar winners, such as Sidney Poitier and Halle Berry.

Jordan also sweetly addressed his fans and friends, saying, “I know you guys want me to do well, and I want to do that, because you guys bet on me.”

Entertainment

Taylor Swift-approved singer scores invite to her wedding celebration with Travis Kelce: report

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Sombr will remember the night.

The singer has scored an invite to pal Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding celebration.

According to TMZ, sources shared that the artist is set to attend the couple’s July 3 party at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.

A rep for Sombr didn’t immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.

The artists have become close friends in recent months, even hanging out together after a New York Knicks game in The Big Apple.

Sombr also performed during Swift’s induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame earlier this month.

At the ceremony, Sombr and Kelce shared a hug and chatted for a bit, per a TikTok video.

Karlie Kloss, Zoë Kravitz, Ed Sheeran, Suki Waterhouse, the Haim sisters, Gigi Hadid and Selena Gomez are among other A-listers who have reportedly received invites.

TMZ previously reported that Swift was calling friends to personally invite them to her special day and that she had an a ironclad non-disclosure agreement in place.

The outlet noted that guests who received a wedding invitation were required to sign an NDA before receiving anymore details about the event.

Sources added that when a guest confirmed their attendance, they were then sent the link to sign.

Guests are prohibited from sharing details about the wedding and will be penalized if violations occur.

Rumors originally swirled the Swift and Kelce, both 36, would tie the knot in Rhode Island, before it was revealed that the couple is saying “I do” at MSG.

As the duo’s pre-wedding festivities amp up, Page Six revealed that Kelce partied with close friends at Bird Streets Club on Friday night.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, a small group of women wearing black, with one dressed in white, were spotted on one of the rooftop balconies of Swift’s Rhode Island mansion.

One of the songwriter’s best friends Abigail Anderson Berard was later seen on the property carrying her toddler.

The Kansas City Chiefs player proposed to the Grammy winner after two years of dating in August 2025.

Swift and Kelce confirmed the news on Instagram at the time, writing alongside proposal shots, “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.”

The tight end popped the question in the backyard of his Lee’s Summit, Missouri, mansion.

“He got her out there, they were about to go out to dinner, and he said, ‘Let’s go out and have a glass of wine,’ … They got out there, and that’s when he asked her, and it was beautiful,” Kelce’s dad, Ed, told ABC News 5 Cleveland at the time.

Ed gushed, “They started FaceTiming me and their mother [Donna Kelce] and her folks [mom Andrea Swift and dad Scott Swift] to make sure everybody knew. So, to see them together is great.”

Entertainment

Daveigh Chase’s mom breaks silence on actress’ death

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Daveigh Chase’s mother, Cathy Chase, revealed her stunned reaction to her daughter’s death in an emotional new interview.

“I was devastated. It felt like something inside of me squeezing all of the air out of me, and at the same time, It felt like I was exploding outwardly,” she told the Daily Mail in comments published on Friday.

She told the outlet that after hearing about her daughter’s death on Tuesday at age 35, she was in disbelief.

“I let out this guttural scream and I just was running,” she recalled. “And these weird sounds were coming out of me, these kind of, like, primeval sounds.”

“And I went out into the backyard, and I was screaming, “No, no, no, no!” I am in so much pain but I hope her soul heard me,” she said.

Cathy told the outlet that on Tuesday evening — the day before news of the “Lilo & Stitch” star’s death emerged — she’d been searching online forums for clues of where her “sunshine” daughter might be, something she’s done on a nightly basis.

“The Ring” actress and her mother had not seen each other since 2019. Cathy, who lives in Los Angeles, told the outlet that she’d frequently check the LA County Medical Examiner’s system for her daughter’s name, as well.

“I would look at their list of unidentified bodies,” Cathy divulged. “It was very difficult, but you do everything you can as a mother.”

When TMZ broke the news that the “Spirited Away” voice actress — who had reportedly been living near Los Angeles’ infamous Skid Row — had died after battling meningitis and a blood infection leading to sepsis, Cathy confessed she thought it was “fake news.”

“But then all of a sudden, it’s all of these different legitimate sites had her name and I realized that it wasn’t fake,” she shared.

The grieving mother identified her daughter’s body on Thursday at a Los Angeles hospital, and prayed with a chaplain while “touching the glass” because it was “as close as we could get.”

“It was a beautiful experience, and, and I feel very blessed, too, have been able to share that with my daughter.”

Cathy told the outlet that her daughter’s problems began in 2016, when she was injured in a motorcycle accident and began taking painkillers.

After that, Cathy said the “Big Love” actress was “seeking drugs and was partying with the wrong people,” and said despite rumors, she “never kicked [her] daughter out.”

“She wanted freedom and these people got her hooked on some drugs,” Cathy claimed. “That was the beginning.”

Cathy said she’d last seen her daughter during a jail visit after she faced two counts of alleged burglary in 2019, describing Daveigh as “completely gone, like out of her mind.”

“I honestly thought there was something wrong with her,” she recalled. “My daughter was never diagnosed with mental health other than PTSD. But the drugs took hold of her.”

Cathy claimed she had an agreement to pick up Daveigh when she was released from jail, but her daughter “never waited. She went back to the streets and I couldn’t find her,” she said.

The bereaved mom said it “upsets”. her that “people are saying I must’ve been a bad mother,” but insisted she “never gave up” on the “Donnie Darko” actress.

“As a mother, you don’t give up on your child. I was hoping she would still come home,” she said.

Just prior to her death — which was first reported by TMZ — Roy Hernandez, a man claiming to be Daveigh’s boyfriend, set up a fundraiser for the actress.

But the actress’s former manager, John Ryan, cast doubt on the fundraiser’s legitimacy, telling The Post on Wednesday that “apparently, a man claiming to be her ‘boyfriend’ that none of us friends or her family has heard of has set up a GoFundMe on ‘her and her families behalf’ that he set her up as the organizer.”

He added, “I can confirm Daveigh has a trust account set up at SAG to cover all costs.” Hernandez, meanwhile, insisted to TMZ that anything gained from his fundraiser would go toward a “proper memorial” for Daveigh.

Ryan — who also said he’d attempted to locate the troubled actress prior to her hospitalization for malnutrition and subsequent death — also claimed the actress left behind millions in residuals.

Ryan told the outlet that Daveigh was “too far gone” on illicit drugs to claim the funds, despite his attempts to get in touch.

Almost ten years prior to her death, Daveigh shared her final Instagram post — a grainy photo of her standing next to a unicorn balloon in Los Angeles in 2017.

In 2009, she shared with Interview magazine that she hoped to “do things that will change someone’s life, not something they’ll forget about tomorrow.”

Entertainment

Hit 90s movie franchise returns after 24 years, star confirms

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A hit film from the 90s and noughties is about to get revived after 24 years.

Austin Powers, the comedy spy franchise that has given us three flicks, plenty of big belly laughs, and memorable characters, is finally getting a fourth installment.

The news was confirmed by star and creator Mike Myers (who plays the lead Austin Powers), who offered up the confirmation of another sequel, but with no further details.

While attending Trevor Noah’s World Cup Watch Party this week, the actor was asked the big question by a bold fan.

“Are we ever going to see an Austin Powers 4?” they quizzed.

Myers didn’t need any time at all to respond, swiftly replying: “yes” to the fan.

But that’s all the details fans are getting for now, with the actor avoiding elaborating any more – including what the new flick will be about and which A-listers might be signing up as a cameo.

“Austin Powers” is a much-loved spoof of classic spy movies centring on a highly-sexed, cryogenically frozen 1960s secret agent who wakes up in modern times.

We were first introduced to the franchise in 1997 with the release of “Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.” Two years later, in 1999, Myers returned with “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me,” and in 2002, we were given “Austin Powers in Goldmember.”

In the trilogy, comedy mastermind Myers famously plays multiple roles, including the velvet-suited hero and his bald, pinky-biting nemesis, Dr. Evil. He also transforms into characters Goldmember and Fat Bastard.

The hilarious franchise boasts wild A-list cameos, including appearances by Tom Cruise, Gwyneth Paltrow, Britney Spears, and Beyoncé.

Over at the box office, the three films have raked in an impressive $US 676 million combined and have snagged over 20 awards, including an Oscar nomination for best make-up as well as a Grammy win for Madonna’s title track for Beautiful Stranger – a song penned for the second film in the franchise.

The news of a fourth film comes 24 years after the third flick hit cinemas.

Since its release, Myers has been hinting that the secret agent may return.

Most recently, speaking to Entertainment Tonight at the 2024 AFI Life Achievement Award Gala, Myers dropped his biggest hint.

“I can neither confirm nor deny the existence or non-existence of such a project… It’s likely to be from Dr. Evil’s point of view,” he teased.